Rosebud
by HMS Siren
Summary: As an adult would put it, bodily change and reformation is a beautiful and terrifying thing. When falling ill, Rin can only think it's a curse when Mephisto corrects him unconventionally. However, his blood runs far deeper than that as it shifts the bones in his body and creates new ones. Rin wants the pain to end, whether it does or not will be left decided to his physical body.
1. Part 1: Sprout

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Don't even ask, this happened because two people with great ideas are not very cooperative. Like, damn... (I secretly think Faisalliot is mocking me for saying Rin should become a furry like Galra!Keith.) But anyway, here's my contribution. (Have this because Only Human is on hiatus while I figure something out.)**

* * *

 **Part 1: Sprout**

 _ **Roses bud and bloom. They are given thorns to defend themselves but are clipped with every trial and tribulation. It marks change and romance, but roses to roses, each to their own, the rose eventually passes.**_

 ** _Sunday, December 18th, 2011_**

* * *

Tragedy befalls like a flash of lightning. People die, environments fluctuate, and crimes are committed. Yet Time stops at the plea of no man or woman. It is with great dignity that Time moves forward, manipulates the sun and moon, rises and lowers the tide, embellishes peaks and dulls mountains to hills. It is what no one had enough of. It devours all, slays kings, and rusts iron.

As time befalls, so does change. Whether reluctant or not, change flows with time and alters what we see and hear and taste and feel. It coerces every race to adapt and modify itself using change. It starts slow and painful and reaches the climax, and once the pain subsides we are left with newfound beauty and grace, such as the wings of a seraph or the poise of serpent.

Change and time slow for no one person. Not even fate's favored ones, such as the cursed to eternal damnation and agony.

Agony is the word to describe the devil spawn's day. Rin had been so overridden with torment and tears that he could hardly shift without sending himself reeling. He had forced himself to clamp down, to stifle every pained moan and guttural lament which he was capable of. Anguish tore its way through his body, striking sensitive areas, pounding away at his muscles, lighting his veins on fire; a white hot fire that ached his every labored breath.

Rin hissed as affliction caught him in the back of the head. He clutched his stomach tightly and growled something feral, reaching for the next bottle of pills he had been choking down all day. The vehement shaking in his body Rin wrote off as having overdosed on painkillers. He clutched the bottle in his hands, reading the warning labels. Rin understood this, Yukio had even mentioned the thought of painkillers before his awakening. Overdosing was not the way to go, no matter how tempting it seemed to ignore the warnings.

 _One pill for children, two pills for teenagers, and four pills for adults. Only consume once every six hours. Consult your doctor._

This was knowledge Rin had already been aware of. His brother wasn't training to be a doctor for nothing, but that still didn't ease the pain. Rin slammed the bottle back onto the desk with a vexed snarl. He bared his teeth with the pain and refused to consume more than the healthy rate. He'd practically overcompensated, he needed to let it be. Rin kept telling himself that it was just a stomach bug... with intense muscle cramps and bone growth pains. He'd get better in a few days and then he'd go back to school.

A wave of nausea slammed into him, startling Rin into upright sitting position. He leaped off the bed, his socks momentarily intervening his balance. He slapped one hand over his mouth at the sudden movement and another over his stomach. His first panic ridden thought was somewhere along the lines of _'Shit, where's the trashcan?'_

There was none...

Rin bolted out the door, heavy footfalls sounding until he entered one of the bathrooms. He located the nearest stall and emptied the contents of his force fed stomach. It all resembled the same wretched pulp he had swallowed merely hours before. Rin couldn't fathom what was happening, especially considering that earlier that morning when Yukio tried to get Rin to eat something simple to soothe his stomach, it backfired and melted into some disgusting, white paste on his tongue. After that, a horrified Yukio had forced Rin to choke down every bite of rice so Rin wouldn't starve himself. He had since then went to visit the unhelpful headmaster.

As Rin leaned over the toilet, dry heaving the last of what he could muster, his nausea returned and made his head spin. Rin forced himself to stand up and flush the toilet. At some point, he submerged his head in the sink and drank some water to wash away the taste of bile and stomach acid. He teetered back his room unsteadily, collapsing back on the mattress as soon as he could. Nothing relieved the pain, but he could try resting anyway.

He closed his eyes, curling up into a ball to minimalize as much movement as possible, and therefore minimalize as much pain. After sprinting to the toilet to puke his guts out, all Rin could do was try to evade anything that may set him off worse. In his black, hazy resemblance of sleep, Kuro joined him. The black cat snuggled into Rin's side affectionately, radiating warmth and comfort. Some bit of the pain relieved itself with Kuro's loving actions, allowing Rin to sleep for another few hours.

By the time Yukio had come home, Rin had made two more visits to the bathroom, slept an approximation of three hours, and stifled his sobs as the torturous aching in his body increased tenfold. It seemed Kuro nor Ukobach could no anything to soothe Rin; not through food which Rin had promptly turned his nose up at or Kuro's attempt at a tongue bath. Yukio had disapproved of Rin consuming more meds, much to his chagrin.

Upon being asked the incomprehensible question about his condition, Yukio bit his lip and told the painful truth.

"I spoke to Mephisto about it, but all I got was a lecture about how beautiful bodily change is for a demon," Yukio admitted. He mixed together an olive green concoction of herbs of which Rin couldn't name if his life depended on it. "He told me that it would be terrifying but the results would be... 'marvelous,' is the word he used, but I'm not sure I want to repeat that."

"None of that makes any sense," Rin muttered bitterly.

"I know, that's why I immediately decided to go through some books on demon development," Yukio said. He turned to his brother with mortar bowl, removing the pestle from it. Rin sat up reluctantly as Yukio approached him with the medicinal substance. "And I found that around fourteen to sixteen human years of age, demons and half-bloods will undergo a type of physical change that affects every part of the body. It wasn't much information, but remember that talk dad gave us about adolescence?"

"Yeah..." Rin trailed off with uncertainty. "Wait, are you saying-"

 **"Oh! I get it!"** Kuro made a noise somewhat resembling a meow and a growl. **"You're going through esschara!"**

'Esschara.' Rin repeated the word, cocking his head. It was deep and sounded with a sonorous, throaty timbre. It resembled something someone might say in a Eurasian country, like Russia or Belarus.

"You mean... it's basically just puberty!?"

"On a Gehennan level, yes, that's basically the simplified version of it." Yukio held the medicine in front of Rin's face. Just the stench was enough to make Rin sound a pathetic noise and start gagging. "Come on, Rin. I know it doesn't look good, and it certainly won't taste good either, but according to the recipe Mephisto gave me, it's the only thing you'll be able to eat without you puking it up. It's supposed to help ease the aching. Cooperate with me, please."

"Fine," Rin grumbled and opened his mouth for a spoonful of the gritty brew. Almost instantly after Rin had tried to eat, he opened his mouth again to reveal that the mixture had gone a sickly white color and became disgustingly pasty. Yukio promptly had a hand over his twin's face, clamping Rin's jaw down when his brother tried to throw it up. Rin reluctantly swallowed, sticking his out tongue in disdain.

Rin grudgingly consumed the whole bowl. After a while, it became routine to choke everything down, but it worked nonetheless. Rin sighed in defeat once he had managed his task, falling back down onto his pillow with a flump. He curled up tightly, Kuro sliding down from the desk nestling himself between Rin's hips and midriff where it was comfortable. The gentle purring had Rin yawning and falling asleep in paltry moments.

* * *

 _"Enjoy your rest, young Okumura," Mephisto chuckled. "A few hours of stillness for you and it's all downhill from here." Mephisto flexed his hands, leaning back into his chair with a pleased hum. "You, the Blue Exorcist, have much to endure. You'll lose your handle on humanity first, let's see you take it."_

* * *

 _'I wonder what would happen if I stabbed Ukobach with a holy knife.'_ Rin slapped himself instantly after that invasive thought entered his mind.

Yesterday, after his sick fit, his body seemed to maintain homeostasis. Ukobach ended up making sukiyaki, which Rin had gladly partaken of. Whatever Yukio had given him worked like a charm in healing him, because it was over with quickly. Unsuspectingly enough, however, he had been plagued with multiple invasive thoughts that he couldn't control during and after class, which had been particularly stressful.

One thought about Shiemi almost had Rin falling out of his chair, and how whenever he thought of her it was always in the manner that she had been impaled on a the Kurikara. Her heart hanging off the tip, still beating strongly with red tendrils of blood staining her gorgeous slender body in gore and the metallic substance that had infected Rin's nightmares.

It was her forlorn, broken voice that really tipped him off, however. _'Why, Rin?_

That was his friend, for God's sake! Why would he ever imagine killing her? Why would he ever picture killing any of his friends; of killing off Yukio? Especially after they had been so supportive?

With every second that passed, Rin felt as if his grip on reality was slipping. Disturbing images kept popping into his head, and some, frankly, were quite sexually inappropriate. Rin didn't even know he had such an imagination. It sent riveting chills down his spine, made him sick to his stomach. With a deep breath, all Rin could do was hope that nothing got worse today and pray to God Almighty for peace of mind.

But it seemed that every deity in existence really did hate his guts because his groaning symptoms from yesterday returned to scorch him alive like hellfire. That, added with Rin's blurring vision and inability to think straight left him helpless. All Rin could do in the next few minutes was empty his stomach once more in the bathroom. When Yukio had come back from a mission late the night and saw Rin in moaning in pain again, he found that Rin now had a fever to add to his symptoms.

At this point, all Yukio could do was hope that Rin didn't suffer too much through this ordeal. Because once Rin came out of this with the saving grace of stubborn animosity and resilience, he wouldn't quite be the same.


	2. Part 2: Bud

**A/N:**

 **Hails: From here on out, it's pain, angst, aaaaand more pain. This looks fun.**

* * *

 **Part 2: Bud**

 _ **Rosebuds are always a little green and inexperienced. They have yet to reveal their true beauty and accept themselves. It's why they have so many thorns, and why they seal themselves up. The critical world is still not ready to handle their allure.**_

 _ **Friday, December 23rd, 2011**_

* * *

Rin sniffled, grousing miserably as he curled up with the sheets thrown off the bed. He couldn't recall the last time he'd been so depressed. With a deep and unavoidable hatred for whichever deity cursed him, Rin attempted to fall back asleep, Kuro's faint vibration of purring lulling him into a false sense of security.

A few hours later, Rin's eyes opened to the sound of tinny, 8-bit sound effects in the room and some hissed cussing. Rin sat up, stretching his still aching muscles, which he had slowly grown accustomed to in the past week. He yawned; his vision clearing just in time for Mephisto to look up from his dual screen game. He paused his endeavor, smiling at Rin warmly.

"Ah, it's nice to see you're awake." Mephisto snapped his fingers, making the game vanish in a poof of smoke. He stood up and waltzed over to Rin in only the way he could. He placed a hand over Rin's forehead as if testing for a fever, tutting approvingly. "Yes, while it seems you are a late bloomer, everything is maturing at an acceptable rate. I was hoping I wouldn't have to mess with your internal body clock."

"My internal clock?" Rin asked curiously. His eyes were wide.

"Ah, yes, see," Mephisto twiddled nervously. Still, there was an underlying, amused tone to his voice. "If your maturation rate is too slow, it could potentially harm your body more than help it. If it's too fast, it could actually kill you. And we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"I could die?!" Rin shrieked, yanking at his hair.

"Only if your maturation rate wasn't at the pace it is now," Mephisto answered. "Of course, I'll set a tracker on you so I'll know if I have to make any modifications to your body. But other than that, you're set to go. Let the maturation begin!"

"No!" Rin yelled again, crossing his arms in sheer terror of what was to come. "How about let's not let it ever begin?"

"Now, now, young Rin," Mephisto, unlike what would seem his usual demeanor, gingerly took Rin's wrists in his hands and lowered them away from his little brother's face. "Every demon undergoes this and you're no exception. Of course, you may be a little less human by the end of it, but I promise you that the results are more than satisfying."

"How badly am I going to suffer?" Rin moaned woefully.

"Quite a bit, but you've already endured the first stages vigorously," Said Mephisto. "Right now you're in the budding stage of esschara, where you'll undergo a slight loss of humanity." Rin went bug-eyed when he heard that. Hell no! He just barely managed to avoid execution while barely managing his flames in Kyoto, how was he supposed to do it now? "I was kind of concerned at first, but I think what the Vatican doesn't know won't hurt them. It won't be for long, just one major spike in demonic power that will flood your system and afterward you'll feel like a new person."

Rin grumbled and fell back onto the mattress. "Puberty sucks."

He then proceeded to accompany it with the muffled question of: "I'm not going to get a period, am I?"

Mephisto burst out laughing, clutching his chest. Sometimes his little brother was so funny. "Oh, no most certainly not." Mephisto joked. "That's only for females. You might get a little horny or have sexual cravings, much similar to humans, but the stage of sexual maturity comes and goes so fast you won't even know it hit you."

"And by, I wouldn't know, you basically mean I'm going to tie myself to the bed so I don't tear the clothes off one of my classmates."

"That's the answer!" Mephisto joked. "My, you've already gotten much smarter. But you really shouldn't resist this development, it's important for your role as an exorcist and far more important for your role as a demon. It'll play a part in your decision later on, on whether you believe you're a human or a demon too."

"Great." Mephisto couldn't see it, but according to Rin's sarcastic tone, he could only assume Rin was rolling his eyes. "Anything else I need to know?"

"Maybe a bit," Mephisto hummed, holding a finger over his lips. "Your body will change physically too, expect to have a growth spurt, and due to your body's... regurgitation habits, you may lose weight and get a bit thinner. But all that can be regained with intense physical education. I'm sure you can handle such a thing just fine. You'll grow to think and act more like a demon, thought processes that are much more calculating. You may lose more of your human appearance, slightly pointier ears, and red pupils as if you'd drawn the Kurikara. After that, everything becomes unpredictable. You would just have to wait and see."

But it seemed Rin had stopped paying attention halfway through. By the way his body was rising and falling with steadied breathing, Mephisto could only assume that Rin had been taken by slumber. The demon king smiled, taking the liberty of rolling his brother over to a far more comfortable position. He brought the blankets up over Rin's body, who nestled into them like a kitten.

"Rest well, dear brother," Mephisto chortled, turning with a pep in his step as he left the room. "You'll be different when you wake up."

* * *

Rin startled himself awake, twisting his fist into the drenched fabric that clung to his skin. The nightmare he had witnessed was far more gruesome than any intrusive thought. There were too much blood and gore for his liking, and Rin could still hear Satan's maniac laugh echoing in his head. His stomach began churning once more, growing hot and nauseated. Rin felt like he wanted to vomit again, but he'd lost ten pounds in one week alone with no special diet, so he forced himself to swallow the growing taste of bile rising in his throat.

Rin left his bed, going down the hall until he reached the bathroom. He turned on the sink, splashing water onto his face, slapping his cheeks a couple time to wake himself up.

"Focus, focus," He whispered to himself. "Everything's going to be okay."

When Rin looked up, however, he instantly regretted the words. He took his breath in sharply, a noise akin to that of a whimper and a squeak combined leaving his lips. He had never seen himself like this before, not even with the Kurikara drawn. Rin splashed more water on his face, hoping to all that was holy that what he'd seen was merely an illusion. He snatched up a towel, drying off his face effectively before checking in the mirror to see his appearance once more. There was no denying this time around. Rin's ears had become pointier, similar to an elf, and his eyes had become slightly brighter, almost edgier looking, with his pupils going red. Rin opened his mouth hesitantly, finding his fangs had grown sharper and longer.

Rin put a hand over his mouth, squeezing his eyes shut as if trying to block out the image. He couldn't even remember what he'd looked like before now, no other self-representation than the one that had been burned onto his eyelids. He leaned over the skin, breathing heavily, almost hyperventilating.

"Everything's going to be okay, everything's going to be okay," Rin promised himself. The halfling turned to head back to his dorm when a strained feeling pushed against his chest, the oxygen whooshing from his lungs. He opened his mouth, gulping fresh oxygen down when the pushing weakened a bit. It almost felt as though his bones were shifting in his body as he breathed...

And then the pain returned.

Rin wailed pitifully, running his sharpened, black nails down his arms and drawing copious amounts of blood. The metallic smell made Rin lurch, eliciting more anguish. He howled agony, blue flames erupting from his body and blanketing the room in intense heat. He backpedaled suddenly until he hit a wall, sliding down until he reached the tile floor. He tore away at his skin, pristine tears running down his face as a massive swell of demonic power ate away at Rin's body.

 _'Is this what... Mephisto meant?_ Rin tried to organize his thoughts, but only Mephisto came to mind. For the life of him, Rin couldn't focus on anything else except trying to relieve the pain.

It hurt. It hurt so bad. Rin wished he was dead.

* * *

Ryūji Suguro had a bad feeling about this. Lightning had given him the day off, and for that, Mr. Okumura had pleaded with him to check on Rin when he was called out on a hefty, long-lasting mission. But something didn't sit right with Ryūji about this. The second he was out of Cram School, he ignored the teacher, didn't bother with the homework assignment, both very out of character actions for him, and sprinted across campus to find his friend.

He didn't care if the teacher got after him tomorrow, he didn't care if it hurt his chances in that class. All that mattered to him was finding Rin and making sure he was okay.

Upon reaching the dorm, Ryūji burst through the door, tossed his bag off to the side, and raced up six flights of stairs until he reached the twins' room. He slammed the door open, but much to his shock and concern, Rin wasn't there. Only an extremely exhausted Kuro, napping on Rin's pillow. Ryūji considered for a moment asking the Cat Sith where Rin had gone in his supposed bedridden state but was interrupted by a scream that sounded worse than a tortured soul. Ryūji didn't hesitate, bolting for the boys' bathroom.

 _Bang! Bang! Bang!_

Ryūji pounded on the door, shouting Rin's name haplessly. He reached for the doorknob, only to pull back when the metal seared his palm. He hissed as his skin blistered painfully. _'Fire?'_ Ryūji thought. Cold panic rushed through him as he clenched his fist and bashed it against the door once more despite the burning, before turning to kicking it open. The door slammed open with the force he set in. He rushed inside, despite the torrent of blue flames that blazed everywhere.

Sitting in the middle of this mess, Rin had become a crying, whimpering, scathing mess. Ryūji stepped forward a bit until he reached Rin's balled up form. He kneeled down, putting his hand on Rin's shoulders to gain the demon boy's attention. Rin's head shot up to make eye contact with Ryūji.

"S-Suguro..." Rin whispered pathetically. "Help me..."

"Shhh," Ryūji hushed his friend, clearing away Rin's tears. The poor creature latched onto Ryūji's arms, whining and sniffling. "It'll be okay. Rin, look at me, focus only on me. Everything will be okay."

Rin nodded, listening intently as his focus was reeled in by Ryūji's gruff, yet somehow tender words. The blue flames diminished, fortunately not leaving too many dark, scorch marks over the area. As gently as possible, Ryūji scooped Rin into his arms bridal style. Rin nuzzled into Ryūji's, soft moans escaping his mouth. With a sigh and slightly flushed from embarrassment, Ryūji carried Rin back to his room and placed him on his mattress.

"Don't move," Ryūji instructed. He ducked under Yukio's bed, figuring there must've been a first-aid kit, and lo and behold, he was correct. He dragged the casing out and tossing it onto the bed next to Rin. He opened it, locating the disinfectant and wound cleaner. Ryūji took one look at Rin and knew that just getting him cooperate would be hell. Rin struggled and hissed against the chemical cleaner, forcing Ryūji to resort to water, which didn't have much better results. But finally, after much conflict in getting Rin bandaged up, Ryūji laid Rin down in his bed.

"Your brother should be back soon," As Rin drifted off to sleep, Ryūji couldn't resist the urge to comb his fingers through Rin's ridiculously soft hair. Rin didn't seem to mind as he drifted off to sleep. "Maybe I'll find out what's going on with you."

"Esschara..." Rin whispered before he was gone.

Ryūji pursed his lips. Sure... whatever that meant.


	3. Part 3: Thorns

**A/N:**

 **Hails: Aw, man. Isn't writer's block glorious? Screw me.**

 **Also, to Laughing Shadows, thank you for expressing your concerns about BonRin, but no. This is a pairing free story. Otherwise, it would've been stated both in the description where pairings are listed and in the summary since I either label my fics through summary or shout it out loud on the first chapter. :)**

* * *

 _ **Part 3: Thorns**_

 _ **Every rose has its thorns. There's always a little prick along the stem to beauty. Careful you don't run your hands up and down, lest they be prodded painfully.**_

 _Friday, December 23rd, 2011_

* * *

"Puberty?" Ryūji asked incredulously, leaning forward in his chair. "Puberty? You're joking right?"

Once Yukio had arrived home from his mission, he immediately investigated what had happened to Rin and found to his utter horror that Rin had nearly lost control and clawed his arms to ribbons. Ryūji had then forced Yukio to take a seat and explain everything. From the meaning of 'Esschara' to Rin's sudden power swell, to Mephisto's patronizing, unhelpful advice. All of this had been merely a sudden development in Rin's abilities as a demon, and unfortunately, it seemed that Rin's state wasn't going to improve anymore until the near end of January.

"As much I want to be, Suguro, I'm not," Yukio said. "But according to Sir Pheles, it really seems to be some form of demonic puberty."

"What's going to happen to him?" Ryūji asked, turning his head a bit to meet Rin's sleeping person.

"I wish I knew." Yukio's concerned expression was enough to tip Ryūji off. Yukio was genuinely concerned for his brother, but unsure of how to deal with the issue. "I finally got some idea of how Rin is going to develop, and that unfortunate insight may be far more terrifying than I imagined. Suguro, will you help Rin out when I can't be around? With the increase of demonic activity and all the missions I'm being called out on, I would really appreciate.

"You can rely on me, Mr. Okumura," Suguro said. "Don't worry, I'll help him to the best of my abilities."

* * *

Rin sighed, breathing and shuddering as he pried his eyelids open. He sat up with a bit of struggle, propping himself up on his elbows. He yawned, tasting the morning breath as he pulled the sleeve of his red tank top. He stood, stumbling for a moment, then he managed to move forward and make it the bathroom. He could remember vividly what had happened and the power surge that drove him nearly insane.

The urge to shower and wash away the grime and sweat washed over him. He turned on a shower in the bathroom, stripping down from his ragged clothes, hesitantly unwinding the bandages, and relieved to find that his skin was unmarred and ivory smooth as baby's bottom. Rin gazed long and hard into the mirror, examining every detail of his slowly, ever-changing body. From his devilish eyes, elongated ears, and sharpened claws to his slightly keener fangs to his pale, lither stature—every once and a while he could see dark spots, moles, stand out over his body; he and Yukio weren't so different. He could still feel his bones shift beneath the surface of his skin, stretching in unlikely, uncomfortable ways.

Rin shivered as he looked into his own eyes, finding the red slit pupils far too unnerving for his taste.

The boy stepped into the running water, washing away the evidence of his suffering and kneading shampoo and conditioner through his hair, and once through his tail. Once Rin was sure he had been entirely cleaned, he shut off the running water and made his leave for a towel. Suffice to say, Rin felt immensely better after his shower. As he padded back to his room, he was met with a nearly frantic Yukio.

"Rin, there you are!" Yukio pulled his brother forward to an endearing, tight hug. "You're okay, I thought you'd disappeared. Thank God."

"Yeah, I'm alright, Yukio," Rin mumbled, wriggling out of Yukio's hold with little effort; much less force than he was used to exerting. "I'm feeling much better, actually.'

"That's good," Yukio smiled. "But I just got off the phone with Mephisto, and he says you'll still want to rest for a bit."

"But-"

"No buts," Yukio cut his brother off. "Last time you thought you were feeling better you got worse. Mephisto says it'll only strain yourself further than you already have if you keep going to so recklessly. I want you to be completely healthy by the time the exorcist exam comes around and the last thing we need if for you to attach yourself to one of the exorcists and try to get into their pants."

"Wait... what?"

* * *

Rin was going to kill Mephisto. ' _T_ _he stage of sexual maturity comes and goes so fast you won't even know it hit you,' my ass_ , Rin thought bitterly as he grasped his pillow and tried not to make a noise. For the love of all things holy, Rin could swear that he was absolutely done with this stupid demon puberty shit. Having managed to make it through December twenty-seventh for his and Yukio's birthday party with only a little scuffle, Rin had gone back to being bedridden. And by 'a little scuffle,' Rin meant that he had been pulled off of Ryūji, Izumo, and Shiemi in that following order in an attempt to relieve himself after pouncing on them uncontrollably.

Rin had never been more embarrassed. For the love of God, he was sixteen now. Human puberty was finally over and Tsukuyomi knows how long demon puberty would take.

With that in the mind, Rin sank his teeth into the pillow to stifle a moan. He had been dealing with a nearly overwhelming, pleasurable sensation manipulating his body for the past twenty-four hours or so, and Rin couldn't decide whether he liked it or despised this new stage ten times more than everything else. Rin gasped, hugging his pillow tighter as another crushing wave of overwhelming ecstasy slammed into him, forcing him tense his muscles as it rocked his body. All the was left was his soaked body and heavy, labored breathing. Rin shakily got to his feet to change his clothes—that was the third set that day. He flopped back down on the bed to await whatever else hell could be coming.

"Hey, are you alright?" Her voice was soft as the door creaked. Izumo had been a godsend blessing to Rin ever since the others had found out about his issues. Then again, she was one of Rin's choices when his stupid bouts of sexual intensity came looking for him. She came bearing gifts, such as a precious stuffed fox toy and baked goods. Rin didn't even know he'd liked Nutella so much until Izumo made cookies out of it.

As if sensing his mass discomfort, Izumo sent him a soft smile.

"Hey, everything's going to be okay."


	4. Part 4: Bloom

**A/N:**

 **Hails: *Throws final chapter in your face* *screams and runs away, leaving a door swinging open behind her*  
**

* * *

 **Part 4: Bloom**

 **Exit stage left with new wings too sore to soar and the rain in your eyes. You see that? You did it. You've finally met the end of your journey with vigor and exhaustion; more beautiful than when you began. Hardships are there for a reason but you can see the dewdrops on the rose petals? They are quite lovely, despite the storm that passed over.**

 _ **Sunday, January 1st, 2012**_

* * *

Rin writhed again, this time in the dead of night as the pain returned, but underneath his spinal cord where he couldn't try to ebb it away. He had been forced to wear some sort of casting over his arms (thanks, Yukio) to keep him from scratching his arms into bloodied, mangled strands. He cried it out in agony as something sharp pushed through his shoulder blades, creating a revolting sound of what most would think would be skin breaking. Warm blood trickled down and the metallic scent clogged Rin's senses. He felt his claws sanction almost naturally as he tore through one of the pillows.

White feathers weren't the only color to accompany the wispy plumes.

Rin screeched something blood-curdling as his back muscles split apart and mended back together, almost as if ligaments and such were being created at incredible, incomprehensible speeds. He watched the shadow of a mountain lean over him menacingly as bones snapped into place, tissues embellished from nothing, and an epidermal husk stretched uncomfortably over the new limbs. Whatever the hell they were.

His back tingled unpleasantly, prickling and being rather annoying in all cases until it faded into numbness and Rin could finally sleep again.

* * *

Rin was vaguely aware of what was happening. He panted heavily, squinting his eyes as the sunlight seared his retinas. Around him, fuzzy, murmuring blobs bounced about and whispered in hushed voices. He made a noise, a whine or a moan he wasn't quite sure what it was but the voices around hurriedly continued whispering, most of them familiar to his perception.

"He's waking up-"

"-Everyone, be quiet."

"Shhhhhh."

As Rin's vision finally stopped spinning and came into focus, he could make out the worries frames and faces of the fledglings and his brother who had decisively backed away from his bed. He mumbled cutely, pushing himself onto his rump and yawning tiredly.

"Whattimeisit?" He slurred, rubbing his eyes. He rolled his shoulders in confusion, feeling something heavy and smooth brush over the skin

"Hang on, now! I'm coming!" A sudden voice penetrated the room and Rin tried not to groan as Mephisto strut into the room magnificently (see: he stumbled gracelessly about because he's too excited to keep his composure.) "Now, let's see, let's see."

Rin complained half-heartedly as Mephisto took him by the arm, holding him in standing position, then gently sat him in the desk chair so his arms rested on the back.

The exwires stepped back, watching in awe as a massive wingspan with feathers seeming as though they were made of the abyss unfolded before their very eyes and filled up the entirety of the room, blocking out the sunlight that poured inside. Rin, feeling much more awake than he was just milliseconds ago, craned his neck around to gawk awfully at the wings protruding from his shoulder blades.

"H-holy shit," He breathed, voice raising a pitch in horror. "I... I have wings."

"Now, hang on," Mephisto said, holding his hands out as if to keep Rin from overreacting. "This is good, this is good. There's no need to panic,"

"I have wings..."

"Now, I get this must come as quite the shock to you, young Okumura but there truly is no reason to panic-"

"I... have wings..."

"And really, this is a sign of good things to come. Imagine everything you can do with them-"

"THAT'S SO COOL!"

"And- wait wha?"

Rin bounced around ecstatically, howling like a madman as he spun around, snapped them open and closed repeatedly. Mephisto didn't quite understand how Rin had taken that so well but he wasn't complaining. At least he wouldn't have to deal with a depressive episode from the boy. Rin halted suddenly, turning with wide eyes to his close group of friends, who were all wide-eyed and horribly worried. He swallowed, waiting for their reaction. He opened his mouth to say something, uncertainty overwhelming him.

"Guys... I..."

Shiemi moved forward first, interrupting Rin and slamming into him with a bear hug.

"It's okay, Rin," She whispered. "I still like you, just the way you are."

Rin, with shaky arms and a heart pounding against his ribcage, pulled Shiemi closer to him. She shifted slightly and Rin feared he might lose her warmth, unbeknownst that Shiemi was sending Izumo a knowing look.

"No way, Shiemi Moriyama," Izumo hissed. "Not happening."

"Come on, Izumo," Shiemi teased with an eager grin. "Come here~ Get in on this!"

"Fine," She growled. Izumo stepped forward (she didn't stomp, only pouting five-year-old tiara toddlers stomped snobbishly) and let Shiemi yank her into a group hug with her and Rin. She grumbled half-heartedly but otherwise said nothing as she wrapped her arms around Rin's torso, careful to avoid where his wings were protruding.

Shima whistled approvingly, nodding his head and shooting Rin a thumbs up. "Okumura~ You lucky duck!"

Yukio was the next to step forward, stepping behind Rin and gently pushing the feathers away from his face.

"Ouch. Cockblocked!"

"Shut up, Shima!"

Rin pouted slightly but let Yukio come close to him anyway because really, it'd been awhile since he'd been so close to his twin. But something was still missing. Rin pouted, sending large puppy eyes in the Kyoto trio's direction, who all shook their head. Sappy things were not their forte.

"Ryūji Suguro," Izumo snapped. "If I have to suffer it so do you. Get over here."

"If I have to do, these two AND Nemu Takara have to do it too."

The other two members of the trio groaned but begrudgingly went forward after a sharp glare from Izumo, leaving Ryūji to drag a kicking and screaming Takara behind him. Rin beamed excitedly tail wagging and thumping against whatever it could reach in content. Rin held on as long as possible, stifling a whimper as everyone finally pulled themselves off him.

"Guys, I just want you to know that-" _Whap!_ Rin paused, jolting to find he had accidentally smacked Shima with his wing and he was now whining and cradling his face on the floor. Rin bit his lip and he could feel his face burn in embarrassment. "Whoops, sorry."

Ryūji placed a comforting hand on the space between Rin's wings, trying for a reassuring smile.

"Don't worry, we'll work on it."

* * *

 **A/N:**

 **Hails: Aaaaaaand long story short, Mephisto gave Rin a binder so he could keep his wings tied to his back with the minimal discomfort until he could learn to keep them furled in by himself.**

 **Welp, hope you enjoyed this extremely short story that I finally found the time to finish even though I obviously took my sweet time.**

 **Stay savvy, guys.**

 **~Hails**


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